i'm david muir. tonight on "world news" -- home-grown terror. could there be another case? this time a mother from colorado under the microscope. and new information on an american detained who worked at nuke lal plants. flood warnings. first came the snowstorms one after another. now torrential rains melting that snow. tonight, 30 states under warnings. church sex scandal. new allegations tonight that even the pope himself once tried to cover up sex abuse within the catholic church. texas knows best. why the lone star state could change how kids are taught history they're weighing in. and the sunday funnies vanishing before our eyes. it's no laughing matter.

good evening. we begin tonight with yet another american arrested. suspected in a case of possible terrorism. this time a mother from colorado who's now been detained in ireland. second woman we learned of just this week. first, jihad jane. now, a jihad jamie. in a third and separate case a an american arrested in yemen who once worked in nuclear plants in this country. tonight, we go down the list this evening. beginning with that colorado woman now under arrest. here's john hendren. >> reporter: jamie paulin-ramirez is a colorado mother, now under arrest in ireland in connection with the same suspected terror plot. target a swedish cartoonest. today, the mother of this second woman said jamie had troubles. >> just a very insecure, unhappy person that just was looking for something to hang on to, i guess. >> reporter: she said her daughter, a former medical

assistant had a string of troubled friendships. her latest marriage to a muslim. changing her son's name. changing her own image, too. her family adds that she once reportedly said she would strap a bomb to her body if she had to. so far, the colorado woman is being held without charges. >> a blonde-haired woman from the unit states. >> reporter: she's just is the latest in the string of home-grown terror concerns. just this week in yemen authorities revealed that an american from new jersey is under investigation. mobl once worked at several nuclear plants in the u.s. but he had been living in yemen. many of the accused conspirators found a radical community online. >> if they're disenfranchised, if they have some grudge against the government, they will find venues or forums.

where they can find like-minded individuals. >> reporter: david, the arrest of that new jersey nuclear worker has caused special concerns. and today senator chuck schumer of new york called for a review of the background checks of all nuclear workers at american plants. david. >> john hendren starting us off. there was terror plot overseas tonight. a brazen attack in afghanistan. four suicide bombers attacked the city of kandahar. kill 30g people and wounding 100 there. militants called it a message to nato. kandahar is in the taliban heartland. ba in this country, now a lot of eyes on rising rivers tonight with the massive weather system now locked over much of the country. unleashing drenching rains and melting so much of that snow. this evening, the number of states under flood watch and warningses has now grown to 35. stephanie sy is in pittsburgh. >> reporter: good evening, david. the mayor of pittsburgh had put

this city pre-emtively, under a state of emergency a couple of days ago. here's why. take a look at this picture from 1996. major flooding. you see those floodwaters rose all of the way up, almost hitting those skyscrapers. now, forecasters have downgraded their predictions for river cresting here in pennsylvania. but other states are not faring as well. heavy rain and wind gusts are only the beginning. adding insult to injury, places that saw historic snowfall this winter now face flooding from a persistent rainstorm. from pennsylvania down south, to the nation's capital, rivers are at or near flood level. the result of rapid snow melt, rain and a new moon. >> new moon important because on top of the enhanced tides that's going to add more tidal flooding. that may raise the normal tide, maybe a foot or a foot and half. >> reporter: in west virginia a woman is dead after being swept away by a swollen stream. and a firefighter assisting in water rescues is missing after

his boat capsized. the worst of the flooding was expected in pennsylvania but has yet to materialized. although people here were prepared for the worst. looks like it was a lot of work? >> it was a lot of work. we had to play it safe. better to be safe than sorry. >> it's kind of spooky when you look at the river and know there's nothing you can do about it. >> for now, it looks like pennsylvania has dodged a bullet. there's still some flooding obviously. i'm standing on the banks of a river, you can usually see the dock next to me. this rain, david, may last in parts of the northeast until monday. back to you. >> braving it all for us, stephanie, thank you. we're going to turn to washington, where the battle over health care has reached a fever pitch. last night we reported that the president has canceled his trip overseas to lobby democrats. some who still want stronger anti-abortion language in the bill. now, republicans are reaching

out to some of those same democrats who are undecided. >> your congressman steve driehaus is considering changing his position on abortion and voting yes for this bill. now the only way to make sure that your tax dollars will not pay for abortion, is to stop the bill in its tracks. >> and there was more today, the newest republican senator joined the fray. >> nearly 1 in 10 americans are still out of work and still, the president and congress are focused on ramming through their health care bill. whatever it takes, whatever the cost. >> republicans sayemocrats still don't have the votes to pass legislation. house speaker nancy pelosi says it won't be long before they do. and this note from washington today, on senate majority reid's wife, earlier we learned that she broke her neck and back in the car crash. tonight, mrs. reid is out of intensive care and her condition has been upgratded to good. their adult daughter lana was released earlier this week. we turn to words from secretary of stathillary

clinton to an ally. she held off saying about a controversial decision made by israel earlier this week. israel announced it was going build in the largely palestine ian east jerusalem. timing of it all secretary clinton is now calling insulting. tonight, israelis are question the timing of their decision. here's rachel martin. >> reporter: it's some of the toughest talk ever from the u.s. against one of its closest allies. >> this action had undermined trust and confidence in the peace process and in america's interest. >> reporter: u.s. officials say israel's announcement to expand jewish settlements in east jerusalem, undermines the peace process. wajd the vice president visiting at the time, the u.s. government is taking it personally. >> the announcement of the settlements, the very day that the vice president was there was insulting. >> reporter: prime minister netanyahu did apologize. for the timing of the announcement. but that didn't stop vice president biden from criticizing

israel's decision. >> i at the request of the president obama condemned it immediately. >> reporter: in a statement the director of the anti-defamation league said -- we can't remember an instance when such harsh language was directed at a friend and ally of the united states. if there's a new chill between the u. and israeli governments, experts say it will freeze more than friendship. >> it's not just the pride of the united states of america, that is big. it's not just the short-term relationship between israel and the united states. it is really the future of the peace in the middle east. >> reporter: now that the obama administration has publicly condemned israel's expansion of the settlements. the next time israel is seen to be undermining the peace process, analysts say the u.s. may feel pressure to use more than tough talk. again, word tonight that, the israeli government now asking serious questions about the circumstans of that announcement and why it was made while the american vice president was visiting the

country. >> clear signs of strain, rachel. thank you. tonight the sexual abuse in the catholic church. new questions about pope benedict and how much he knew about abuse before he became pope. here's abc's lama hassan. >> reporter: the vatican is defending pope benedict tonight against accusations that he tried to cover up for a pedophile priest. the vatican acknowledges there were serious mistakes in handling of the priests. who was given therapy in 2006. but was allowed to work. but a vatican spokesman insists the pope had absolutely no part in the decisions that brought the priest back in contact with children. in 2002, cardinal ratzinger was in charge of investigating the sex abuse scandal. critics at the time accused of sweeping the issue under the rug. our brian ross was rebuffed when asking about one case.

but as pope, benedict has taken a strong public stand against priest who commit sexual offenses. >> and who is really guilty to be a pedophile cannot be priest. >> with the events of recent weeks, he knows that it comes right up to his front door. that this is not an american scandal but a worldwide scandal. >> reporter: a scandal now growing in the pope's native germany. lama hassan, abc news, london. back in this country now, to a star teenager being remembered near san diego this evening. thousands of people are gathering to remember an honor student, an athlete, who police say was murdered by a sex offender. the outpouring for chelsea king is mixed with anger and demanded for changes in how sex offenders are punished. abc's lisa fletcher is outside san diego tonight. >> reporter: more than 6,000 mourners hold sunflowers tied with blue ribbon as they say good-bye to chelsea. the straight-a student, cross-country runner known for

her kindness and compassion. >> she was a person who brought sunshine and light to school every day. she was an incredible person. was nice to everyone. >> reporter: chelsea went missing while running in this park last month. thousands turned out to search for her and now, many from t community are demanding a change in how paroled sex offenders are treated. >> this is an insult to everybody's child. chelsea -- i got three daughters and she's my fourth daughter and this is going to stop. >> reporter: police arrested convicted sex offender john gardner. two days later, her body was discovered in a shallow grave. garder in is also the focus in the murder investigation of 14-year-old amber dubois whose body was found near here a week ago. and there are many questions about whether gardner was properly monored after his

early release from prison. in 2005 for molesting a 13-year-old girl. yesterday, governor schwarzenegger ordered a probe into the way the state handled gardner's case. there's such great sadness here. but behind me, one thing they're talking about is that this is community of great faith. and in this tragedy, they believe that something good is going to come out of it. chill -- chelsea's death is going to change. protect others from these violent sexual offenders. >> lisa, thank you very much. still ahead on "world news th saturday night -- dr. besser is here with a word of warning of a common procedure. that tests your risk for a heart attack. how one texas man can change how your child learns history. so many of you who already got wind of are weighing in on both sides. and it's no laughing matter. two cartoonists in a race to save the sunday funnies. q'q7

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patients don't have blockages. better job of selecting which patients are most likely to benefit the test. >> reporter: an angiogram involves, a dye is injected revealing any blockage that may be forming. this invasive test is not without risks, including radiation exposure and bleeding. the study found that exercise stress tests, done by some doctors as screening test, is not effective in determining whether an angiogram is really needed. >> concerns about missing something important. concerns about litigation. it's come together in a culture where we feel the need to do more and more. >> so dr. richard besser joins us now. is overtesting likely to still be a reality? >> unfortunately that's the case. there's no better screening test. >> rich, what do you if you're facing an angiogram. >> the first thing, you want to

make sure you have a doctor that you can talk to. ask those questions to. write the questions down before you get into the room. it's hard in that situation to remember everything you want to ask. a couple of key questions, ask do i really need this test. how will it change my care? >> after all of those questions, the doctor says, you really need one. what's the downside to say i don't want it. >> well, you can miss heart disease. . your doctor says you need it, go ahead and get the test. >> but ask the questions first. rich, thanks very much. there are many more tips on how to ask the right questions about medical tests at our website, abcnews.com. when we come back on the broadcast tonight -- the texan who could be changing textbooks in classrooms across the country. does he know best? nancy decided she can't afford so many bathroom detours

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supports breast health, and more calcium for bone health. centrum silver ultra women's a texas man wants all children in the lone star state to learn history the way he sees it. he's self-described christian fund mtdallist and a member of the texas board of education. last night, we learned that board approved a sweeping rewrite of new textbooks. dan harris explains. >> the amendments -- >> reporter: ted kennedy out. newt gingrich, in.

the gangs of the civil rights era questioned. those are just some of the changes that this man, is pushing to bring to public school textbooks in texas and perhaps, the rest of the country as well. >> my world view is kind of a christian world view. >> reporter: he's a suburban dentist. and a member of a powerful controversial bloc of conservative christians on the texas board of education. because the state of texas buys so many textbooks, publishers often tailor materials for the entire country to the standards that he and his colleagues set. you have been quoted the amount of power you at times boggling your mind. >> i did say that becae it's pretty influential. >> reporter: last year, he helped push through language questioning evolution. >> who am i a dentist to question the authority of all the giant consensus? >> reporter: this year, this

week, in fact, it's social studies. they have inserted language mentioning pillars of the conservative movement. like the moral majority and the contract with america. they required the words of pro-slavery leader jeffrey davis to be listed next to abraham lincoln. they removed the name of a author of a children's book, bill martin jr. because they mistook him for another bill martin who wrote a book critical of capitalism. >> that was embarrassing. we made a mistake. >> reporter: what do you say to people you're in's sense of imposing your political and religious view on school children. >> as far as imposing, i was elected. i told people what i believed in and what mivated me and so my goal as an elected official to speak up and do that. >> reporter: he was just voted out of office. but he does have his seat for rest of the year. will you change the way you

operate? will you soften up at all? >> i can't see changing anything. >> reporter: and what you do between now and when you leave office is going to have a long-temple impact? >>hat's fine. >> reporter: dan harris, abc news, austin texas. >> and viewers who have been following dan's reporting on this are already weighing in. we have been reading them. e-mails to our abc news website -- a fierce debate and we welcome you to join it at abcnews.com. and when we come back here -- the fit to save something very important from disappearing from your sunday paper. if we didn't have if those boxes are under 70 lbs. you don't have to weigh 'em. with these priority mail flat rate boxes from the postal service, if it fits it ships anywhere in the country for a low flat rate. no weigh? nope. no way. yeah. no weigh? sure. no way! uh-uh. no way. yes way, no weigh-ing. priority mail flat rate box shipping starts at $4.95,

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and finally tonight, something here you'll likely see less of in your morning pape it's no laughing matter. the vanishing sunday funnies. comic strips are getting squeezed in this economy. tonight, john berman with two cartoonists determined to keep us smiling. >> reporter: for generations, there has been something funny about your newspaper. a little orphan. a fat cat. a sad kid. or a group of cranky cavemen. what do you love about comics? >> i love their simplicity. i love being able to put a gag

in a certain perspective. to tell a joke a certain way. tell a quick story. >> reporter: mason and nick mastroianni draw and write the comic "b.c.," it was passed down from their grandfather who created it in the 1950s. do you think "b.c." will be around for your grandkids? >> that is a very difficult question to answer. >> reporter: now, the comics are in crisis. with the newspapers hemorrhaging readers and moneys, many newspapers have cut the strips they cover. the comics that remain are finding it more crowded. to save money, many papers have been squeezing strips on to smaller papers. look at the difference. "little orphan annie" in 1950 and today. then, there's the issue of relevance. in 1945, new york's major read the funnies over the radio. during a newspaper strike. kids once followed the funny pages religiously.

today, newspapers have given way to nintendo. how do compete against youtube? >> if figure that out, please let me know. >>eporter: mason and mic have a new stripe about a dog pound. they have been drawing a new one every day for two years. but they can't sell it. >> this is one year. >> this is actually one year right here. >> this one year's worth of strips. >> reporter: whatever the challenges are, they are still laughing. there should be a place for any economy. john berman, abc news, new york. >> and since they can't find a paper. we put it up on the website. their new comic strip check it out at abcnews.com. as we say good night this evening. reminder, set your clocks ahead one hour tonight. it's daylight saving time. have a good night.

the people who waed these streets before us were just like you and me. with hopes. dreams. challenges. today, we do more than just walk the same streets. for a moment, we get to walk in their shoes. preparing us for what lies ahead. down our next road. be part of the story. colonial williamsburg.